Before I start this review I have a confession to make.

I have NEVER read Kafka or Metamorphosis and I had absolutely NO idea what the story was therefore I had no idea what to expect which means that this review is written from a total newbies’ point of view in terms of the storyline! I did know though, from having watched Frantic Assembly’s Othello, that I would be in for a treat of physical theatre – and in that I was not wrong!

I had been told that the story was “basically Jeff Goldblum’s Fly” which I have seen MANY years ago and had a vague recollection that he had been bitten by a bug or something a la Spiderman and slowly morphed into this bug…so in I went with some sort of vague science fiction kind of idea…which was my first (and only) mistake.

Within ten minutes I was confused by the story line and hadn’t quite got a clue what was going on HOWEVER what I was watching was amazing. The physical aspect of the actors was quite beautiful to watch so I gave up on trying to work out the story and just revelled in the visionary aspects of Scott Graham’s production.

The use of light (designed by Simisola Majekodunmi) was pivotal to the performance – like a moth attracted to a flickering light my eyes were distracted away from one part of the stage to another and when they were pulled back to the original focus there was a character there – who had definitely NOT been there seconds before. The actors appeared and disappeared, seemingly, from and into thin air and each time this happened I sat, literally open jawed, questioning how it had happened. This continued throughout the show and it was pretty amazing that it still got you at the end as much as it did near the beginning. How the Chief Clerk, eerily played by Joe Layton, appeared from the armchair – I have NO idea!!

Felipe Pacheco grabbed the role of Gregor with both hands….and feet….and pretty much every other part of his body and was phenomenal in his athleticism, his strength and his portrayal of a mind in torment and his vulnerability as he descended into a world of “unworthiness” because he could no longer bring home the money for the ledger. Literally vermin!

In the interval my hubby explained that this was very much the crux of the story – how societal pressures of the time of writing were almost the be all and end all – the men brought home the money whilst the ladies were married off and how, when these men are no longer able to be employable they almost become shunned and ‘unworthy’ and once I understood this the second half was easier to take on from a story viewpoint as well as a visual pleasure.

Hannah Sinclair Robinson portrayed Gregor’s ‘of a sort’ sister beautifully. With moments of girlish innocence and joy in dressing up in the silks that Gregor sold to dominating him over feeding time before finding him loathsome alongside her parents Mr and Mrs Samsa (Troy Glasgow and Louise Mae Newberry) she showed moments of compassion, of strength, of fear and of uncertainty and a skittishness as she discovered her own sexuality in the piece as well.

All of the family played their parts exceptionally well and the choreography of the daily work grind – the flowing dance as the mundane routine of daily work life dragged us down with them – was just hypnotic. The repetitive round and round of a work cycle that changed ever so slightly each time the dance happened was so fluid that you couldn’t do anything but watch it – almost trancelike. Throw in the occasional appearance of the sinister Chief Clerk telling Gregor he would like a word and you could almost physically feel the pressure that was being forced on Gregor to sell more, more, more – after all – nothing happens without salesmen. “What is a ship without sails? A coffin!” That line hit me quite hard! The repetition of this when Mr Samsa went out to work was also very telling – as he stopped loving life and sank into a drunken stupor.

As I haven’t read the original story I can’t comment too much on the adapting that Lemn Sissay had put into place but I can say that the monologues by each of the characters were amazing – not just in the way they were portrayed but also in the writing itself. Grete’s especially was exceptionally good – especially as it was some moments in before I realised that the extremely versatile set created by Jon Bauser was turning ever so subtly, ever so slowly and the room was distorting – like the thoughts in Grete’s monologue, like the distortion happening to Gregor. It was so subtle that I was then fixated on seeing if I could actually see it move and, again, found it almost hypnotic as the sides twisted and bent before coming back to square at the end. This happened a few more times in different ways throughout the show and each time created a different dynamic for us to get our minds around. Just like the walls in Othello’s pub when one of the characters was drunk Frantic Assembly’s physical theatre wasn’t just in choreography of the humans – it was also in the choreography of the set and the way that Gregor (mostly) used that set – from hanging up in a corner fearful of the humans ‘invading’ his room to standing on the edge of his magic bed (well – people kept disappearing on it!!) he became that dung beetle. The use of the centre lamp at the start of the second half was like watching a metronome or a hypnotist’s watch – lulling you into a disbelief of some sort….I am struggling with words to describe it but if you have ever stood, fascinated by a spider weaving its web and you can’t quite turn your head away – that feeling…..does that make any sense?

Overall the performance was a joy to watch and it was also wonderful to see so many well behaved and appreciative students in the audience and I hope that, by seeing such a good visual representation of the story, they can carry that over into their studies of which Metamorphosis plays such a part.

My only small criticism was that right near the beginning of the performance the background music composed by Stefan Janik was overwhelming the vocals of Grete and I was struggling to hear her for a little while but it did seem to correct itself later on during the show.

Ratings wise – my first thought was 4 stars because of the sound issue and because I didn’t understand the story to start with but, on reflection and having chatted more to the hubby afterwards, I understand that Kafka does leave things unexplained (I mean there is no bug bite like Jeff Goldblum’s and no ‘sci-fi’ explanations) and that is a fault of his story and not this telling of it. Frantic Assembly have created a piece of moving art that is eye-catching, provocative, awe-inspiring and beautiful and therefore I am going to give it the full 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a performance with great visual impact.

Metamorphosis is co-produced with Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Curve Theatre, MAST Mayflower Studios and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and is running at Curve until Saturday 23rd and then heading off on tour around the country. Details can be found here.